Straight razor (aka "cut throat") or safety razor?

[Vengeful Glutton]

Recently, I started using a straight blade to shave. As the geezer in the vid says, there's a steeper learning curve associated with using a straight blade. It's a great shave though, and makes it a more enjoyable, manly experience.

Furthermore, I now only have to shave every other day, as opposed to every day with disposable blades.



For the more manly shave. Grrrrrr.

[Lord Lucan]

Nice one, I've been using a cut throat for the past 5 years, wouldn't use anything else now.
It did take a while to master it, no quick movements, and having plenty of time being the priority for me. Had regular nick's on my boat race in the beginning.
What type do you have? I have the type where you snap a regular razor blade in half down the middle and slot it in. Going to try another one that my old man left me, its a traditional fixed blade that you sharpen with a strop.
I only shave once a week, the blade cuts right through all the growth in one pass.

[Spy]

That's definitely bold. I switched from using Gillette Mach 3 disposable type razors to the more traditional safety razor a couple of years ago, and even that resulted in an increase in facial nicks until I got the hang of it. I'd need a much more leisurely morning schedule before contemplating going to a cut-throat razor.

Kind of an aside, but when I was looking into safety razors, I came across an internet forum called Badger & Blade. It's a wealth of info, but what a curious thing to dedicate extensive time discussing. Looking at it now, I can see there are over 15000 threads on using a straight razor, and 61900 threads on safety razors. There are posters on there with 10000 posts on shaving. Funny old world.

[SerjeantWildgoose]

Yez are all a bunch o weemin. There's times I've shaved with an SLR bayonet and half a black mug of warm tea.

[Spy]

Warm tea? La-de-da.

[SerjeantWildgoose]

Clearly ye've never sweated yer way through a night of ambient tempreatures above 40, dreaming of cold tea!

[Vengeful Glutton]

@ Lord Lucan:

The same type as the one the seppo is using in the vid I posted. It's called a 5/8th Dovo. I got a starter pack here:

https://www.theinvisibleedge.co.uk/star ... razor.html

It's pricey enough, and I was unimpressed with the strop (so much so, that I threw one!); it's not wide enough to accommodate the width of the blade. It's ok for a beginner, but it's worth investing money in a wider and more durable strop.

Benefits, aside from the cleaner shave: I reckon I'll save a lot more money. Anytime I've used a disposable blade I end up looking like this fella,



So, I never use them.

The Gillette Mach 3 series and all the other fancy dan modern blades cost a small fortune. You get 4 blades for 10 yo yos over here, and I'd go through a few packs a year. Way too much money to be forking out for shaving. IMO, their only advantage is that you can have a reasonably clean shave in a short time - handy if you're in a hurry. Furthermore, I'm producing less waste, and therefore doing a little bit for the enivronment.

However, unlike yourself, I don't get away with one shave a week.

@ Spy:

Thanks for the link! Yes, the biggest drawback with the straight blade is time spent on shaving, particularly the first few shaves. Like everything else though, practice makes perfect. Actually, I think I spend more time now doing face prep.



I've got my Grandfather's shaving mug (which may date back to his days serving with the colours). I've also got his shaving brush, which again may or may not date back to the middle of the last century (almost impossible to verify these family stories; he could have bought it in Thomas St. in the 50s for all I know). Anyway, the brush is superior to the one I got with the pack linked above, which is already frayed. The Grand daddy's one puts a nice, even coat on too, with minimal control. The modern one absorbs more cream, so much so that you have to keep squeezing it like a tube of toothpaste.

[Vengeful Glutton]

Yez are all a bunch o weemin. There's times I've shaved with an SLR bayonet and half a black mug of warm tea.

Pussy.

[Lord Lucan]

I bought mine in Penang, got a pack of 3 for about £2, good quality though, still using the same one after 5 years. Bought a few slabs of razor blades aswell, like you used to see at the barbers, dead cheap, about a fiver for the lot. I've worked out I have enough blades to last me a lifetime, even if I live long enough to get a telegram off the queen.
You can't beat sitting in a chair and have someone do it for you, only had it done once, in Tangiers about 17 years ago, cost 50p, worth every penny, got the hot towel, after shave, the works, even got my neck twisted each way, which I wasn't expecting.

[Spiffy]

Yez are all a bunch o weemin. There's times I've shaved with an SLR bayonet and half a black mug of warm tea.

Bayonet? Tea? Bure blooody luxury.

Us used to shave in't pitch dark wi a broken bottle and cold cat's piss wearing boxing gloves!

[SerjeantWildgoose]

Yez are all a bunch o weemin. There's times I've shaved with an SLR bayonet and half a black mug of warm tea.

Bayonet? Tea? Bure blooody luxury.

Us used to shave in't pitch dark wi a broken bottle and cold cat's piss wearing boxing gloves!

Leather gloves? You were lucky!